Bolton Castle

Elizabeth I moved Mary to Bolton Castle
primarily to isolate her and remove her from the dangerous Catholic influence in
the north. Mary put up strong resistance to the idea at first, but gave in on
condition that she may dispatch messengers to Scotland. The journey from
Carlisle to Bolton took two days and Mary stayed overnight at Lowther Castle and
Wharton. Still playing for time, Elizabeth answered Mary's pleas for assistance
by requesting that the murder accusations against her be "debated" at
the Conference of York. In fact, on 20th September, Elizabeth had secretly
written to Moray assuring him that she had no intention of restoring Mary to the
Scottish throne. Full of hope, Mary agreed to the demands of the English queen
and occupied herself with learning English (which was a different language from
Scot) under the tuition of Knollys. Desperate to make a good impression on
Elizabeth, Mary now also took a vivid interest in the new religion, while
placating the English Catholics by re-affirming her faith in the Great Hall of
Bolton. However, as her letter to her former sister-in-law, Elisabeth de Valois
(who died in childbirth before receiving it), shows she remained a fervent
catholic. On the eve of her death, she still insisted on justifying herself for
listening to Protestant sermons. Knollys worried himself constantly over Mary's
possible escape but Mary, choosing to see herself as a guest rather than
captive, made no such attempt during that time. But at the Conference of York
the falsified evidence of the "Casket Letters" was presented, and the
case was concluded to be not proven by either side. Mary was of course not
allowed to be present at this "trial", nor to see the so-called
evidence. Moray returned to Scotland with a hefty £5,000 subsidy courtesy of
Elizabeth, while Mary remained a prisoner, all hopes dashed to the ground. In
January 1569 during a particularly bad spell of winter weather, Mary was moved
to the hated Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire.

Bolton Castle corresponded with the earlier part of
Mary's imprisonment and, as such, was still reasonably comfortable. She was
allowed 51 people to attend her including: Mr Nawe, Secretary & his servant; Mr Melvin, Mr. of
the House & his servant; Mr Curle, Mr. of the Horse & his servant, his
wife & her woman, his sister; Mr Burbon, Physician & his servant; Mr
Prewe, Reader & his servant; an apothecary; a surgeon; an embroiderer; four
grooms of the chamber; two yeomen of the pantry; two yeomen of the warder; two
cooks; a pastelar; four turn broches; four grooms of the stable; Mrs Bastion
& her son and two daughters; two others; Mrs Pearpoint & her woman and
three laundresses; Mrs Bewregarde; Mrs Mowbraye; Mrs Camdaye; two English
sisters.